The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Rural, Regional and Gaeltacht Affairs Heather Humphreys has appointed Ivor McElveen FIEI to the Board of the Heritage Council. This is the first time that a chartered engineer has been appointed to act in this capacity and is recognition of the professional standing of engineers and conservation engineering, both as a philosophy and as a recognised discipline. McElveen is the founder chair of the Conservation Group, which was established within the Structures and Construction Division in September 2013. The Conservation Group provides a forum for discussions on conservation issues, as well as promoting sympathetic engineering solutions to conservation problems. It also provides information on the Conservation Accreditation Register for Engineers (CARE). The Heritage Council was founded in 1995 by Michael D Higgins, then Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. It is well recognised and respected for its role in the protection and promotion of our national heritage. Since its foundation, it has brought about a wider understanding of heritage and played a vital role in promoting best practice in protecting our heritage and has established itself as a recognised centre of excellence. McElveen is a director of ICOMOS Ireland and a former chair of the Building Limes Forum Ireland. Prior to establishing a consultancy practice specialising in historic buildings and conservation engineering in Wexford in 1998, he served with the European Commission as an adviser to the Czech Government and was decorated a Gratias Agit Laureate by the Czech Government in 2011 in recognition of services rendered to the Czech nation.